The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Cuphea that is grown for use as an annual plant for container or for use as a perennial plant for the landscape in frost-free regions. The new cultivar is known botanically as Cuphea llavea×procumbens and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’.
The new Cuphea cultivar ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ is a hybrid plant that resulted from the induced cross-pollination conducted by the inventor in June 2001 at the inventor's nursery in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ was selected by the inventor in December 2003 based on upright habit, and dark red flowers with six lobes per individual flower.
The inventor cross-pollinated an individual plant of the seed parent, Cuphea llavea ‘Tiny Mice’ (unpatented) and an individual plant of the pollen parent Cuphea procumbens (species, not a cultivar, unpatented). Observing that the resulting seedlings exhibited a range of flower colors and flower shapes, the inventor set aside several hundred of these seedlings for further growth trials in order to select the most promising combination of unique flower shape, flower color, and compactness, of plant habit. Four individual clones, from the seedling population were selected by the inventor in 2003. One selection constitutes the present invention, ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’. The other three selections are ‘Flamenco Samba’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,823), ‘Flamenco Rumba’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,213), and ‘Flamenco Tango’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,285).
‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ exhibits dense upright habit, large hairy flower buds, large deep magenta flowers and dark yellow-green foliage. Propagation is accomplished using vegetative cuttings. The closest comparison plant known to the inventor is the inventor's co-pending variety ‘Flamenco Samba’, which exhibits dark red flowers and an open upright habit. ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ is distinguishable from the comparison plant by dark magenta flowers.
The new cultivar ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ is distinguishable from the seed parent by flower color and number of lobes on an individual flower. The seed parent ‘Tiny Mice’ bears small orange flowers that individually exhibit two identical, fused lobes, whereas ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ exhibits dark red flowers with six sub-equal lobes on an individual flower. ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ is distinguishable from the pollen parent by flower color and plant habit. Cuphea procumbens exhibits spreading habit and bears purple flowers, whereas ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ exhibits dense upright habit and dark magenta flowers.
The first asexual propagation was conducted by the inventor in 2003 at the inventor's nursery in Brisbane, Australia. The method of propagation used for asexual propagation was vegetative cuttings. Since that time, the distinguishing characteristics of ‘Flamenco Cha Cha’ have been determined stable and have been determined stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.